State-owned electricity provider Energex has launched a year-long battery storage trial in Queensland, which will use battery systems from leading companies such as Tesla and Sunverge to provide real time data on how new technologies can be integrated into the network.
he trial marks the first time Tesla’s battery storage system has been installed in Australia.
Energex Executive General Manager Asset Management Peter Price said the trial was part of a long-term strategy to manage demand on the network based on customers’ ever-changing consumption habits.
“The way our customers consume electricity has changed significantly with the emergence of solar PV and battery technology and we have changed with them.
“The future of energy usage in Queensland is about choice; providing customers with a choice as to how they consume their electricity and how much they rely on the network.” <
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the trial would further cement Queensland’s reputation as a leader in the rooftop solar industry.
“The Government has a goal of one million rooftops, or 3,000 MW of solar PV capacity in Queensland by 2020, and the emergence of battery energy storage systems will play a key role in achieving that goal,” she said.
The launch of the battery storage trial also coincided with the induction of 22 new Energex apprentices into Energex’s EsiTrain facility in Rocklea.
“New technologies like solar battery storage will dominate the next phase of the solar energy industry, and with it a whole new opportunity for new jobs,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
She added that the new recruits would gain first-hand experience with the latest technology as part of their training at Rocklea.